Patriots Take ALS Ice Bucket Challenge – As a Team [VIDEO]

Just like the way they chose to be introduced as a team when they were on their way to winning three Super Bowls, the New England Patriots did the same thing when they and owner Robert Kraft took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge following Tuesday's practice.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m., the Patriots headed to the northwest corner of what had served as the Philadelphia Eagles practice field during the joint practice on Tuesday at Gillette Stadium. Minutes later, several ice buckets of could be seen being dumped on one Patriot after another, including Tom Brady, Bill Belichick. According to the Patriots' web site, Kraft challenged the other teams in the AFC East to do the same thing and he pledged to make a donation to fight ALS.

All of the players and Kraft walked backed towards members of the media clearly drenched from the ice water. Now they along with thousands of other people across the country have done their part to raise awareness about ALS.

ALS, short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — and commonly referred to as ‘Lou Gehrig’s Disease’ — is a progressive neurodegenerative illness that results in muscle weakness and atrophy, manifested in difficulty speaking, spastic muscle movement, and eventually, problems with breathing and swallowing. At present, a drug named Riluzole is the only method of treatment proven to lengthen ALS patients’ lives, and only by a period of months; scientists are currently pursuing clinical trials for a number of treatments that target recently discovered root causes of the disease, but there’s still a long way to go.

What do you think about this story? More importantly, have you taken the ALS ice bucket challenge? Share your thoughts here on our web site and on our Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #PatsALSchallenge.